Burner for liquid fuel.



G. H. LUTZ.

BURNER FOR LIQUID FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.20. I911.

1,291,573. Patented Jan. 14,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I jgj,

gwuentoz y y /zu fi,

G. H. LUTZ.

BURNER FOR'LIQUID FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED 050.20. I917.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 D GEORGE HINTON 'LU'I'Z, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

BURNER FOR LIQUID FUEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919 Application filed December 20, 1917. Serial No. 208,098.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon H. LU'rz, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Buffalo, in the county of Erie, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burners for Liquid Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the etficient combustion of liquid fuel and aims to provide means for thoroughlymingling the fuel with the proper proportion of combustion supportln me-- dium, preferably air, means for con 1t1oning the mixture and means for distributing the conditioned mixture throughout an area which will not only afford ample burning space for the fuel-mixture, but will insure combustion under favorable conditions, notwithstanding the wide range of variation in the supply of fuel in the regulation of heat to be delivered and without inducing back firing or ignition of the mixture below the burning surface even with very loW fuel pressure. a

It has long been proposed to vaporize fuel previous to mixing it with the combustion supporting medium and to utilize the heat of the burner for this purpose. But as ordinarily carried out this vaporization has been effected in a manner to precipitate carbon suspended in the fuel, because of the too sudden rise of temperature and resultant cracking or separation of the more volatile fuel constituents from the carbon or heavier portions. The present invention overcomes this difficulty by gradually raising the temperature of the fuel; hence one feature of the invention consists in a heating coil which gradually approaches the hotter portion of the heating area, preferably by rising from a level well below the flame to a level where the flame is directly encountered either by impingement or by direct radiation, the upper end of the coil being preferably passed across a portion of the combustion space and directly through the flame, and the fuel being introduced at the cooler end of the coil, the end, which, in accordance with the present illustrative embodiment, is the lower end, and delivered immediately after it passes through the hottest portion of the coil; the entire circuit of the fuel through the pipe being so proportioned that the carbon has had time to gradually rise in temperature and therefore remain suspended in the fuel instead of-being precipitated by the too rapid volatilization of the lighter fuel constituents.

It has also been proposed to inject fuel in the form of spray, into a mixing flue, under sufficient pressure to induce an inflow and mingling of air to support combustion, but fuel mixture thus produced has ordinarily been delivered immediately to the burner with the result that combustion has not taken place to the best advantage. The present invention seeks to thoroughly condition the fuel mixture, as it emerges from the mingling flue and to this end another feature of the invention consists in arranging the mixing flue in the form of an annu Ins and having the inner end discharge into a central collecting and conditioning chamber where a vortex is set up to complete the mixing while maintaining or even increasing the temperature of the mixture by having the top Wall of this chamber in heat absorbing relation to the flame and preferably having the central portion of this top wall elevated within the burner proper to increase this heating effect.

It is common to discharge fuel mixture through an annular series of ports, radial slits, or other openings, but the present invention provides a more efficient means of accomplishing this end, by providing an annulardistributing chamber overlying the outer portion of the collecting and conditioning chamber, communicating at frequent intervals therewith through an annular series of ports, and constructed of vertical annular walls with a cover of Wire fabric of sufficiently fine mesh to develop, in effect, a continuous sheet of flame while efi'ectively checking against back firing even at the lowest impetus of the fuel, as, for instance, when burning under a mere pilotvolume; the annular distributing chamber surrounding the elevated dome of the conditioning chamber.

Other features of the invention which will be hereinafter presented relate to details of construction of the particular illustrative embodiment herein selected and which provide for the more efiicient realization of the general features above outlined, such as integral construction of the walls of the flues and chambers to bring them into better heat conducting relation; the means utilized for securing the wire fabric upon the distribut developing the initial heat. drawings in which I ing chamber, in the development of the burning surface; .the utilization of one of these fabric clamping means to support the heating coil; and the provision of a trough above the mingling flue and beneath the coil is vdisclosed 4 is a'horizontal section on the 'line' 4 -4* of Fig. 2, but on the scale'of Figs. 1

and3.

. A represents an annular mingling flue havin intake A opening outwardly to receive e1 from an injecting nozzle f to be hereinafter identified, and a delivery end A opening within the annulus thus produced.-

B is a central collecting and conditioning chamber surrounded by the annulus A, into which the mingled fuel and air pass in the form of a vortex and by which these elements are further mingled or more intimately' mixed. The central portion of the chamber B is exposed to heat radiated down from the flame of the burner so that after circulating around the chamber B and finding its way toward the center, the mixture is further heated and conditioned. Sur- ;mounting the outer portion of the chamber so that the latter wall is kept heated by con- B is an .annular distributing chamber C which communicates with the chamber B through an annular serles'ofports 0 in its bottom walL' The chamber C is preferably formed by annular walls 0 c of which the outer walls .0 are approximately in vertlcal alinement with the wall a of the chamber A duction from the wall 0, and the mingling air and fuel driving through the flue A are kept warm. In like manner further heat is imparted to the mixture by means of the wall 0 which defines the sides of the dome b of the chamber B. The arrangement of the distributing chamber C insures the uniform 7 distribution of the heatedcand thoroughly mingled fuel mixture throughout the annulus which it forms and this mixture escapes uniformly throughout the' area of this annulus through the wire fabric cover D which constitutes the burning surface. Wire fabric D is preferably of about fourteen openings to the inch of fabric surface, the wire being .041 gage and the openings therefor being approximately .03" in diameter. The wire is pref-- erably of nickel to resist corrosion and when tasters clamping ringsE, E may be employed of which the inner. rin 1 is referabl to carry thetop wal b of t e dome while the outer ring- E is preferably constructed with support e for the heating coil F which heats the fuel.

made,

, The heating pipe F embodies several coils I of which the lowermost coil f is sufliciently below the flame level to be thoroughly protected against directradiation and is the coil which the fuel enters'first, through the supply end i, while an up er coil 1 is elevated to a position to be directly impinged by the flame or at least, in position to receive heat therefrom by direct radiation, the end of said upper coil being preferably deflected inwardly as shown at f to cause it to pass through the flame and insure an intense heatingof the fuel immediately before it reaches the injecting nozzle f". To support the coil F, it is preferably rested upon the coil support 6 of the outer clamping ring E and upon this support,'the coil may be secured by clamps G. From the above it will be seen that thefuel oil has its temperature I gradually raised by passing through a pipe of progressively increasing temperature as dls'tinguishedfrom being delivered in a comparatively 0001 state to an intensely hot surface, and consequently, instead of the heavier distillate's which are to be used, being cracked, and the more volatile portions passing on and the carbon precipitated, all parts are gradually raised in temperature so that the constituents all pass to the mingling flue, the passages remaining clean and unobstructed and heating eiiiciency insured.

It will also be seen, in this preferred arrangement, that the fuel is rising as it is heated. It is to be understood, however, that the specific arrangement of the coils vis not indispensable to a measurable realization of 1 the advantages of gradual heating. For instance, any other location of coils could be employed so long as the heating efl'ect gradually increases toward the discharge end.

The design of the apparatus with the annulus of the distributing chamber B of less There is also provided a priming trough beneath the coil, a flange it being utilized to form the outer wall of this trough so that it 85 burner above said chamber supplied there- I is adapted to receive liquid fuel for ignition Y in starting the heat.

, naea e'ra 1. In a burner for liquid fuel, an annular mixing flue having inner and outer open ends, means for injecting fuel into the outer open end under conditions that induce mixture of combustion supporting medium, a central collecting and conditioning chamber surrounded by said flue and into which the inner open end of the flue discharges, and a burner above said chamber supplied therefrom, said burner bein in the form of an annulus, and said cham e dome within the annulus of the urner.

2. In a burner for liquid fuel, an annular mixing flue having inner and outer open ends, means for injecting fuel into the outer open end under conditions that induce mixture of combustion supporting medium, a central collecting and conditlonlng chamber surrounded by said flue and mto which the inner open end of the flue discharges, and a burner above said chamber supplied therefrom, said burner being in the form of an annulus, a heating coil for the fuel being provided around the annular burner.

3. In a' burner for liquid fuel, an annular mixing flue having inner and outer open ends, means for injecting fuel into the outer open end under condition that induce mixture of combustion supporting medium, a central collecting and conditioning chamber surrounded by said flue and into which the inner open end of the flue discharges, and afrom, said burner being in the form of an annulus of less diameter than the mixing flue; a heating coil for the fuel being provided around the annular burner and above the annular mixing flue.

4. In a burner for liquid fuel, an annular mixing flue having inner and outer open ends, means for injecting fuel into the outer open end under conditions that induce mixture of combustion supporting medium, a central collecting and conditioning chamber surrounded by said flue and into which the inner open end of the flue discharges, and a burner above said chamber supplied therefrom; the ends of the annular flue being overlapped to complete the inclosure of the central chamber.

5. In a burner for liquid fuel, an annular mixing flue having inner and outer open ends, means for injecting fuel into the outer open end under conditions that induce mixture of combustion supporting medium, a, central collecting and conditioning chamber surrounded by said flue and into which the inner open end of the flue discharges, and a burner above said chamber supplied therefrom, said burner being in the form of an annulus; the annular burne overlying the outer portion of the central chamber andr havin a heating having through its bottom wall an annular series of ports through which itreceives supplie therefrom, said burner being the form of an annulus, one annular wall ofthe burner being substantially in vertical alinement with a Wall of the mixing flue and thereby adapted to conduct heat to the latter.

7. In a burner for liquid fuel, an annular mixing flue having inner and outer open ends, means for in ectin the outer open end under con itions that fuel into inducemixture of combustion supporting medlum, a central collecting and condition: mg chamber surrounded by said flue and into which the inner open end'of the flue discharges, and a burner above said chamber supplied therefrom, said burner being in the form of an annulus, the annular burner overlying the outer portion of the central chamber and having through its bottom wall an annular series of ports through which it receives fuel mixture through said chamher; the outer wall of the burner being vertically alined with the inner wall of the mixing flue to insure heating of the latter and the outer wall of the mixing flue being continued -upwardly to form a trough. for combustiblefluid to be burned in the initial heating of the device.

8. In a heater for liquid fuel, an annular mixing flue having its respective ends opening on the inside and outside of the annulus, a central conditioning chamber communicating with the inner end of said flue, a fuel supply injecting into the outer end of said flue, an annular delivery chamber located above the conditioning chamber, but within the radius of the mixing flue, a wire fabric covering the delive chamber through which the delivery 0 amber disso I charges and which provides a burning surface for the fuel mixture, a clamping ring for said wire fabric having an outwardly extending coil support, and a heating coil for the fuel surrounding the annular burning surface and resting upon said coil supfabric having an outwardly extendin" coil "support, and a heating coil forthe fue surrounding the annular burnin space and resting upon said coil support, t ere being'an inner heating trough overlying the mixing flue and beneath said coil support.

10. In a heater for liquid fuel, an annular mixing flue having its respective ends opening on the insideand outside of 'the annulus, a central conditioning'chamber communicating with the inner end of said flue, a fuel sup ply injecting into the outer end of said flue, an annular delivery chamber located above the conditioning chamber, but within the radius of the mixing flue, a wire fabric covering the delivery chamber through which the deliver chamber dischargesand which provides a urning surface for the fuel mixture, acI-ampi'ng ring for said wire fabric having an outwardly'extcnding coil support, and a heatingcoil for the fuel surrounding the annular burnin surface and resting upon said'coil support, fiiere being an outer -heating trough overlying the mixing flue and beneath said coil support; means being provided for clamping the coil down upon its support and thereby securing the wire fabric clamping ring.

11. In a burner for liquid fuels; a collecting chamber, a mixing flue supplying said collecting chamber, an annular delivery chamber overlying said collecting chamber a heating but of smaller diameter than the mixing flue,

having a reticulated discharge surface over.

which fuel mixture burns, and a fuel heating coiled pipe overlying the mixing flue and surrounding the delivery chamber.

12. In a burner for liquid fuel, a collecting chamber having a mixing flue discharging thereinto, an annular delivery chamber superposed upon the collecting chamber of less diameter than the mixing flue, and having a reticulated cover through which it discharges, and over which fuel mixture burns, dome for the collecting chamber, lying within the annulus of the delivery Leaner/a chamber, and a-coiled heating pipe for the fuel, lyingaround said delivery chamber.

13. In a burner for liquid fuels, a central collecting chamber, an annular mixing flue having aninner end delivery to said collect in chamber, and-an outer end open to receive fuel with combustion supporting medlum, and an annular delivery chamber concentric with, located above, and having.

port communication with the collecting chamber, and having a wire fabric cover opening to receive a fuel jet with combustion supporting medium, and at its other end, an

inwardly presented opening delivering into said collecting chamber, a distributing chamber concentric with but above the collecting chamber, and having-s mmetrically'distributed ports through w ich it receives fuel mixture from said collecting chamber, and a -wire fabric cover through which said distributing chamber discharges and producing a burning surface over which the fuel mixture burns, and a fuel heating pipe coiled around the delivery chamber, and lying partlyabove and partly below the level' of the burning surface whereby it is progressively heated; said pipe receiving liquid fuel in its cooler portion and delivering it to the fuel jet through its hotter portion, and a portion of said pipe adjacent said fuel jet extending across the burning surface.

' 15. In a burner for liquid fuel, a collecting chamber, spaced annular walls providing a delivery chamber mounted on said collecting chamber, a wire fabric cover forsaid delivery chamber, and a plate for securing said wire fabric, bridging the space within the annulus of the delivery chamber and forming a heating dome for the collecting chamr. The foregoing specification signed at Buffalo, N. Y., this 15th day of December, 1917.

GEORGE HINTON LUTZ. 

